


Second Chance

by WhisperOfWarmth



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), kylux - Fandom
Genre: Adorable, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Armitage Hux Has Feelings, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren Fluff, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluffy Ending, Friendship/Love, Gay Male Character, Getting to Know Each Other, Insomnia, Kylux - Freeform, LGBTQ Themes, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Out of Character, Protective Kylo Ren, Romantic Fluff, Secret Crush, Short & Sweet, Short Story, Star Wars - Freeform, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017) - Freeform, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Sweet, The Last Jedi - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-15 21:20:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13621893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhisperOfWarmth/pseuds/WhisperOfWarmth
Summary: Armitage Hux has worked with Kylo Ren for a number of years. The two, while they have had a romantic encounter in the past, remain professional and friendly in the present day. And their work relationship has evolved considerably, since Kylo Ren took over the reigns as Supreme Leader of the First Order.Still, all work and no play can wear a person out, and one day Kylo arranges for them to go on an off-planet outing to a place that the First Order recently acquired, for relaxation, and 'fun'.The two learn more about their newest property -- and each other -- throughout the course of the day.





	Second Chance

"General? I thought I sent you to your chambers hours ago!"

It was early morning (or late night, depending on your point of view), and Kylo Ren was pacing the halls, his two guards trailing behind him, on his way back from his meditation chambers. He had been passing Hux's office, and noticed the light on underneath the door. He had opened it, and wasn't at all surprised to find Hux there, busily working.

Hux had been an insomniac for as long as Kylo had known him, and the fact that the man never seemed to sleep troubled Kylo. Kylo had read multiple books before, detailing other cultures' legends and myths, and had come across a particularly interesting creature of lore, called a "Vampire." The book said that vampires were fast, intelligent, and beautiful. They didn't sleep, had cold, pale skin, and, instead of eating, drank blood. So many of those characteristics were true for the General that Kylo had to stop and question his own beliefs on the matter. 

Beautiful, Hux was, indeed. Or at least Kylo thought of him as such. Cold and pale, always. Intelligent, definitely. He DID walk rather quickly, and, obviously, he had issues sleeping. The only thing keeping Kylo from believing whole-heartedly in this 'myth' was the fact that, although he didn't eat _much_ , he DID, in fact, eat.

Hux looked up guiltily, now, from the stack of papers he had his head bent over. "Er, you did."

Kylo folded his arms across his chest, fixing Hux with a firm, disappointed glare. "Then, what, pray tell, are you doing in this office at 3 in the morning?"

"What, pray tell, are YOU doing walking around at 3 in the morning?", Hux shot back at him, then winced. He was still trying to get used to the idea of Kylo Ren being his boss, now, rather than a simple co-worker. He had to work on changing his dialogue and interactions with him to sound more formal, and less casual. Kylo's guards were standing outside the room, and Hux knew it would be inappropriate for them to hear Hux speaking to him in such a lax manner.

But Kylo hadn't seemed to take issue with Hux's momentary snark. He replied "I get up very early twice a week for meditation and training. Now you answer my question, please."

"I couldn't sleep."

Kylo came further into the room, frowning. "You realize this is a problem? A potentially big one?"

"If it is a problem, big or small, it is my OWN, Supreme Leader."

Kylo sighed. "I believe I've been more than vocal in expressing my preference that, when we are alone, you address me simply by my name. And I disagree with your assessment on the issue of your sleep deprivation. You're my right hand. I depend on you to be alert, to be at your very best, for me, and the First Order."

Hux was listening, but just barely. He felt a yawn snake it's way up his throat and he struggled to hold it back; the last thing he needed was to add more fuel to Ren's ridiculousness. When he felt he had sufficiently suppressed it, he said,

"I don't believe there's ever been a single time that you've seen me, that I haven't been 112% on top of my game. Has there? Honestly, answer me that, _Ren_."

Kylo slowly, reluctantly shook his head. "No. You're right."

"So am I also right in labeling this conversation as unnecessary?"

"No. It's not unnecessary. There's another factor here, that has nothing to do with the First Order."

"What?"

"I worry about you. I, personally, worry. And I'll be honest Hux, I have enough things to worry over, without you being at the top of that very long list."

Hux felt both flattered, and horrifically uncomfortable. A while back, long before Snoke had met his 'accident' and Kylo had taken over as Supreme Leader, Hux and Kylo had had a one-night stand with each other. They had been much younger, very intoxicated, and acting on impulse rather than logical thought. Their passionate encounter had been so amazing that Hux still dreamt about it, from time to time. The next day, however, Hux had woken up in Kylo's bed, sore, sober, and completely horrified. They had had a long talk with each other, and came to the consensus that what had happened, could not happen again. There were simply too many risks involved.

But that didn't keep a tiny, tiny part of Hux's brain from wishing that there COULD have been more between them. And he often wondered if Ren felt that, too. Whenever they were alone together, it was as though there was a small spark between them, a confusing mix of rivalry, contention, sexual attraction, and . . . more. Something Hux had quickly labeled as friendship, but knew, deep down, extended beyond that.

Being alone with Ren right now, and hearing him say that he was worried about him, gave Hux that unpleasant, odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. He shook it off and stood up, stretching.

"I'll go back to my chambers now, alright?"

Kylo shook his head and sighed. "What good would that do? I know you; you'll sit up drinking tea and staring at your datapad until it's time for your shift."

Force, Ren was perceptive.

"At least I'll be relaxing. That's something, right?"

Kylo was about to argue with him further, but abruptly changed his mind. Instead he said something that left Hux scratching his head. 

"Push back everything I have on my schedule today, until tomorrow. Do the same thing for yourself. Go back to your chambers and TRY to sleep a few hours. At 0900, you will meet me in my ship hangar."

"For?"

"You and I have been working hard, General. Especially YOU. I feel we've earned a day of relaxation, don't you? We recently acquired Canto Bight, correct? A good opportunity to explore the dining, the entertainment, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh, Ren, I don't know. We both have a lot to --"

"I don't want to hear excuses. If it makes you feel better, we'll label this a necessary, inspectory trip. But regardless of the label, you ARE going. Understood?"

"But --"

"General Hux, **I** am the Supreme Leader. I've just given you an order. Would you have questioned _Snoke_ in this manner?"

"Well, no, but --"

"Then its settled. At 0900 meet me at my ship. I know you're unfamiliar with the concept of 'fun', but trust me, we'll have fun today. Alright?"

Hux nodded. "Alright."

He watched Kylo and his guards make their way down the hallway, before turning and heading to his own chambers. Hopefully he could take a little nap, to prepare himself for whatever the Supreme Leader had in store for him.

. . . . .

Both men had been to Canto Bight numerous times before, of course, during the negotiation deals. But each time was like the first time. The opulence, the hugeness of everything was staggering no matter how many times they visited.

The manager of the gambling dens, Netal Lordson, was both happy, and terrified, to see them. Normally a visit from the two highest ranking officials of the First Order would indicate a troublesome situation about to unfold. He seemed beyond relieved when they told him they simply wished to experience the casino life for a day.

"What is it your majesty seeks see?", Lordson asked Kylo, anxious to make a good impression. "The card tables? The dining? We have a dance troupe from Shar Nadda performing several shows in the west hall ballroom today, as well as . . ."

"How about we start with food, and go from there?", Kylo asked, with a smile.

"Ah, of course. Come, let me escort you and your General to one of our private dining rooms.

As they walked the large halls, people gasped, they stumbled, they bowed. Hux had thought that, seeing as their acquisition of this place was still so fresh, people may not recognize Kylo for who he was. Not so. Aside from several large portraits of himself hung in various places throughout all of the buildings, his face had been printed on all of the planet's paper currency.

The dining hall was like everything else they had seen so far: huge, shining, and fancy. 

Kylo picked up a menu and scanned it carefully. Some of these dishes he had never heard of before, and he wished their were pictures to accompany the words, so that he would have some idea of what to order.

"I think I'm going to have the spicy taun-taun meatballs and pasta," Hux said after a while. Kylo picked up his menu again, frowning. "Where did you see that?"

"Here," Hux said, leaning over and pointing to one of the unfamiliar words. "That's just fancy jargon for pasta."

Kylo grinned and set his menu back down. "Then I'm having that, too."

The server, a sweet young girl of maybe 15 or so, came out and took their order. She also brought them a bottle of high-end wine.

While they waited on their food, Kylo poured them each a glass of wine, then said, with a grin, "Did I ever tell you about my first time drinking wine?"

Hux shook his head.

"I was 12 years old, and with my parents at some fancy dinner on Naboo. I forget what the function was, exactly, but ALL of my mother's senate friends were there. My mother said I couldn't have any wine, that it was strong Corellian wine and I'd be sick. And I don't know if you've ever had wine from Corellia, but it IS quite strong. Just a fingerful is enough to put a strong man on his back, if he doesn't pace himself accordingly. But Han was from Corellia, and he had had HIS first drink at 10. So when mom wasn't looking, he switched out my punch with a huge cup of wine. I was so excited I drank it all down at once."

"Ugh," Hux said with a grimace. "That sounds awful, especially if it was your first time."

Kylo nodded. "It was, but I was so excited to be drinking the 'grownup' drink that I whispered to Han that I wanted more. He was proud of that and he brought me some. So now I'm two extremely large glasses of wine in, and starting to feel a little sick. Mom didn't notice; she had to go up to the front of the room and make a speech. At the end of her speech she went around the room pointing out different people, thanking them for something or other. She got to our table and said "To my supportive, loving family," and me and Han stood up while everyone clapped. But I stood up a little too fast. And suddenly, in the middle of this fancy dinner and fancy people, Senator Leia Organa's son was vomiting all over the table, the floor, Han, and anything else in the immediate vicinity."

Hux burst out laughing, so hard that he almost spit out his own wine.

"Oh, Maker," he got out, wiping tears from his eyes, "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard!"

Kylo chuckled, happy that he had made Hux laugh. "It's funny now, thinking about it, but at the time it was mortifying. Han confessed what he had done, and mom was livid. She wouldn't allow any of the cleaning staff to clean up my mess, saying that Han and I had to do it ourselves. And when we got home, she made Han sleep on the Falcon for nearly a week."

The girl brought out their food, and Kylo thanked her, tucking his napkin into his shirt. 

"So anyway, that the reason I only ever have one alcoholic drink at meals, and that I sip it really, REALLY slowly."

"I don't blame you," Hux said, still grinning as he dug into his own food.

~~~

After lunch, Lordson took them around the buildings, pointing out different venues of entertainment. It was especially interesting, seeing the fathier races. Lordson took them to the stables to see the beautiful beasts up-close, and Kylo spent a long time brushing and petting and talking to the gentle creatures. Hux kept his distance on that one: he liked fathiers but didn't really trust animals in general.

"Who takes care of this area?", Kylo asked Lordson. "It's so clean, so well maintained. I'd like to speak to him."

Lordson brought out the person in question, who turned out to a young boy, probably no more than 16 years old.

"You do all of this yourself?", Kylo asked him skeptically. 

"Yes, Supreme Leader," the boy answered, his head bent reverently.

"How long does it take you to care for them?"

"It's an all day activity, Supreme Leader. I get up at dawn to feed and brush them. When they're taken out for the races, I clean the stables and refill the food and water. When they come back, I massage the legs and brush them again."

"That sounds like a lot of work for one person."

The boy shrugged. "I love these animals, Supreme Leader. They're like family to me."

"And how much is your salary?"

The boy told him, and Kylo frowned. He turned to Lordson with an angry expression on his face, and said "That's it? No. Starting today you will triple his pay, as well as hire some assistants to help him. But anyone you intend to hire must first be met with HIS approval. Is that understood?"

Lordson nodded eagerly, making a note to himself. The boy was grateful and beaming, thanking Kylo profusely.

After the stables, they were treated to a special dance from the all-woman dance troupe of Shar Nadda, which felt incredibly awkward to Hux. The women were gorgeous, and they twisted and swirled and bent at dizzying speed all around them, long hair and silken scarves flying. Hux had hoped he wasn't blushing too hard, but he felt better when he looked over at Kylo and saw that he was blushing, too.

Their last stop of the rapidly dwindling say was the concert hall, where an orchestra from Yavin 6 was performing a collection of their greatest hits.

"I'm afraid this is one of our least popular attractions, as you can probably see from the small audience," Lordson told them, as he escorted them to a private stand high above everyone else. "The young patrons are interested in the magic shows, the races, the dancing girls. Mostly what we call the old-timers come here, letting the music help them recapture some of their youth."

"There's a little bit of old-timer in all of us, though, isn't there?", Hux responded in a low voice, talking mostly to himself. Kylo had heard him and nodded thoughtfully. Then he turned to Lordson and thanked him, dismissing him back to the floor.

Kylo and Hux settled into the plush bench, and watched the orchestra below them. The music was beautiful and swelling, and Hux, especially, seemed to really enjoy it.

"I would go to these types of performances with my father, when I was a boy," Hux said quietly. "It was something we both loved. It might be the ONLY thing that we both loved, or bonded over."

"My father and I never did anything this classy. If we 'bonded' over anything, it'd have to be food. We could both eat a LOT. Between us, and Chewie, I'm genuinely surprised that our food budget didn't completely bankrupt us."

Hux chuckled at that, still keeping it quiet so as not to disturb the people below them.

"I take it your mother was a good cook?"

"The best, actually."

"You're lucky, then. All of our food was prepared by servants. Everything always had the same bland, dull taste and texture to it. One of the first things I ever did, when I left, was teach myself to cook."

"You can cook?", Kylo asked, surprised. 

"Well, I doubt I'm as good as your mother, but I'm not terrible, either."

Before he could stop himself, Kylo blurted out, half-jokingly, "Just what I look for in a relationship; someone who's not good, but not terrible, either."

Hux didn't respond, but Kylo could sense how uncomfortable his 'joke' had made him.

The band changed songs, and Hux's disposition changed. He sat up straight, and a wide smile came to his face.

"This is instrumental but I know the words. My mother would sing this to me before bed."

Kylo kept looking at him, a bit surprised. This was the first time he could recall Hux ever speaking of his mother. He wanted to ask him more, but didn't want to pry into his business.

As if reading his mind, Hux turned towards him and said, quietly, "My mother died when I was about 8 years old. She, uh, she wasn't my father's proper wife. He HAD a wife. She was a kitchen maid he had an affair with."

"I didn't know that."

Hux nodded, closing his eyes and letting his head sway slightly to the music. "It's true. My father let her stay in his house because she gave him a son, whereas his own wife gave him no heirs at all."

"Then -- then you must have been really appreciated by your dad, huh?" Kylo timidly observed, not knowing what else to say.

Hux, his eyes still closed, smiled. "You would think so, wouldn't you? But my father --" Here he abruptly cut himself off and opened his eyes, with a sigh. The song had changed again and so, apparently, did Hux's demeanor. "The past is the past. It's already dead. No sense in focusing on it longer than necessary."

Kylo nodded. And the two continued to watch and listen in companionable silence.

The quiet, the warmth, and the soothing music had a delightful effect on Hux: he fell asleep. At first Kylo wasn't aware that he had gone to sleep, as he was concentrated on the show going on below them. Then a pressure on his shoulder made him glance over. Hux was leaning against him, arms folded, and breathing evenly in and out against Kylo's coat. 

When Kylo had been younger, one of his favorite activities had been chasing butterflies in the field behind his home. With time, and experience, he came to find out that the most beautiful ones would come to YOU, if you sat still and remained patient. Then you could study them up-close, and take in all the details that you couldn't while they were flapping through the air.

So Kylo remained still, and very gently turned his head, to study the creature on his shoulder. The short, neatly combed red hair. The pale skin. The golden-brown freckles around the bridge of his nose and cheekbones. The fluttering orange eyelashes. The pursed, plump pink lips.

He told himself that he was letting Hux stay there because he was relieved that Hux was FINALLY getting a few moments of needed sleep, but that wasn't the case at all. The truth was, he liked this. He liked the feel of Hux against him, his weight, his warmth. He liked leaning slightly down and catching a whiff of whatever sweet shampoo it was that Hux used for his hair. He liked the way his normally tense face was so smooth, so peaceful, as he slept.

Ever since the day they had slept with each other, Kylo had been thinking about Hux, in a way that was more than work-related. He thought quite often about how Hux provided such a good balance to his life, and wished that he was in his life more. More than prepping him for meetings, more than arguing over the budget, more than the endless wave of drills and paperwork and maintenance and the army and everything else that had made up Kylo's life since becoming Supreme Leader. Just, more.

_Would he notice if I kissed him? Would he wake up, and get angry?_

He was about to chance it, and was leaning close, when Hux started to stir. Kylo quickly straightened up and focused his attention back on the performance below them.

Hux didn't say anything about having fallen asleep, but, glancing at him from the corner of his eye, Kylo could see that Hux was actually SMILING, at him. And he was sitting just a bit closer than before.

The show ended, and everyone, including Kylo and Hux, stood and gave the artists a clapping ovation.

"That was enjoyable," Hux said to him over the roaring. "I could have done with even more."

More.

. . . . .

"I have to admit, this whole 'fun' thing was, well, fun."

It was early evening, and Kylo and Hux had arrived back at the base just a little while ago. Kylo had insisted on walking Hux to his chamber doors, and now they stood outside of them. Kylo had made his guards take up post at the very end of the hallway, both to prevent anyone else from coming down, and to give the two some privacy.

"I'm glad," he responded to Hux. "Not bad for a first date, huh?"

Hux's face turned red, and he stuttered out "A-a w-what, now?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I feel like our outing today qualifies as a, well, a _date_."

Hux's face flushed redder, and, for one of the few rare times in his life, he wasn't sure what to say.

Kylo could see this, and he spoke instead.

"I can't stand here and lie, and say that I don't feel like there's something between us. I feel it, and I think, even though it scares you, you feel it too. I don't want to intimidate you, or push you into anything you may not want, or be ready for. I just thought I'd put my thoughts out there, though, so that you can be aware of them. I'm the Supreme Leader, you're my General. I'm Kylo and you're Hux, and we're friends. But I feel like there's another level to us, and I would like it very much, if you would consider giving _it_ , whatever it is, a fair chance."

Kylo was looking at him so anxiously that, despite the serious tone of the moment, Hux couldn't help but smile at his expression.

"I suppose I can't lie, either. I feel it too. But this is a big thing, and could impact us both on multiple fronts. Just give me a little time to think things over, okay?"

Kylo nodded, looking relieved that Hux hadn't flat-out rejected him.

"Okay. I can do that. Then I guess I'll see you first thing tomorrow, at the morning meeting?"

Hux nodded. "Indeed you will."

Kylo nodded too, and turned to walk away. He only got a few steps before Hux called out to him again.

"Ren?"

Kylo turned around. "Yes?"

Hux took a deep breath, then said, slowly, 

Tomorrow, after my last shift on the bridge, and your last meeting. I . . . I would like it very much if you came back here. I can make us dinner. We can talk. Together."

Kylo came back towards him, hesitated, then placed a soft, warm kiss on his cheek.

"I'll be there," he said as he pulled away. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Hux watched him walk away with a smile, before stepping inside his door. The smile didn't leave as he showered, it didn't leave as he changed into his pajamas. It was still there when he crawled into bed, and it was there when he closed his eyes.

That night, for the first time in a very long time, Hux slept like a baby.


End file.
